It is news likely to send neurotic thirtysomething singletons reaching for the chardonnay and a comforting packet of Hob Nobs: Helen Fielding, the creator of Bridget Jones's Diary, is pregnant.

The 43-year-old author, who to her fans had long been synonymous with her lovelorn fictional alter ego, confirmed yesterday that she was expecting her first child with her boyfriend, the American comedy writer Kevin Curran, in February.

The couple, who met four years ago, were understood to be "overjoyed and excited" at the prospect of parenthood, while Fielding was reported to be "happy and healthy".

And well she might be. Curran, an executive producer and writer on The Simpsons, appears to be a veritable Mr Darcy. Fielding has described him as "lovely, funny and very sweet", while friends say he is "very dry, funny and very, very tall".

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The couple now spend most of their time in Los Angeles, where they have a £1 million home in the Hollywood Hills.

The impending birth will cap a memorable year for Fielding. Bridget Jones's Diary, and its follow-up, The Edge of Reason, have sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, earning her an estimated £2.2 million.

The film of the first novel took £200 million at the box office and earned its star, Renee Zellweger, an Oscar nomination. A sequel starts production this autumn.

A new novel, Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination - described as a "girly spy thriller" - is due out in November.

A publishing source said: "The heroine is completely different to Bridget. She's an outward-looking, Prada-wearing, glamorous blonde who doesn't need a man."